Noise from the Basementhttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 03:45:28 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/72a131462b696a3b1d0416b08faef1db?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngNoise from the Basementhttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com
Episode 8https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/episode-8/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/episode-8/#respondSun, 29 May 2011 07:49:11 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=242]]>Hey, the four of us! Listen to the podcast we recorded together a week ago. (Note: if you are not the four of us, a) wow; and b) listen anyway. Thanks!)

]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/episode-six/feed/0famicomanBonus Podcast: Karl and Zach’s Evening of Chatting to Each Other About Irrelevancieshttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/bonus-podcast-karl-and-zachs-evening-of-chatting-to-each-other-about-irrelevancies/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/bonus-podcast-karl-and-zachs-evening-of-chatting-to-each-other-about-irrelevancies/#respondFri, 28 May 2010 07:37:57 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=222]]>So exactly six months ago, Karl and I recorded a sequel to our universally beloved “Karl and Zach’s Day of Fun” podcast from August, which didn’t get posted until September, and I’m just posting it today! Enjoy us chatting.

]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/bonus-podcast-karl-and-zachs-evening-of-chatting-to-each-other-about-irrelevancies/feed/045zachElcycle Archivehttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/elcycle-archive/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/elcycle-archive/#respondTue, 18 May 2010 02:36:45 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=220]]>Now available here,http://www.archive.org/details/ElcyclePodcast]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/elcycle-archive/feed/0famicomanEpisode Fivehttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/episode-five/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/episode-five/#respondTue, 29 Dec 2009 23:53:12 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=216]]>Hey all. It’s a special reunion podcast! Have the time of your life with the Noise from Basement gang.Noise from the Basement – Episode 05]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/episode-five/feed/045zachTop Albums of 2009https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/top-albums-of-2009/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/top-albums-of-2009/#respondMon, 21 Dec 2009 09:38:15 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=207]]>

So the year’s over, and while I’ll always be a TV guy, I’ve found myself increasingly interested in music, buying almost 200 albums this year when usually I’d be content with a few dozen. Of course, most of those didn’t come out this year, so I’m not exactly the strongest source for this. Still, I’ve listened to enough to feel comfortable forming a list for my favorite albums of the year. At first I made a top-10 list that didn’t really work for me. It didn’t succeed in capturing the year in music as I saw it. So I made this list, which numbers, 1-5, things that felt great about this year in music. Each number is represented by at least two albums, and there’s a few honorable mentions at the end that didn’t quite fit on this refined list (and in only one case was on the original top 10 list).

The band that owned 2009. How did they do it? They’ve always made music in more interesting ways than anyone else, but here they refined techniques that were incredibly innovative with songwriting that towered over the competition. Every year has its popular indie albums (see #3), but rarely does it feel like one of them is going to go down as an all-time classic. But few albums ever have the makings of a classic like Merriweather Post Pavilion and its twin EP, Fall Be Kind. For newbies, download “My Girls,” “Summertime Clothes,” and “What Would I Want? Sky.”

2. Seek Magic, by Memory Tapes, Psychic Chasms, by Neon Indian, and Life of Leisure EP, by Washed Out

A new genre emerged this year, chillwave, and it rocks. Although “rocks” is the exact wrong word to describe its sound. Chillwave is hard to define, and various names have tried. Popular ones include glo-fi, dream-beat, and hypnagogic pop. It sounds dreamy, has beats, glows, is hypnagogic, but really, chillwave is the most accurately evocative, even though only half of it can actually be used to describe the sound. It’s music that takes influence from 80s pop but transforms it into a new aesthetic, something soothing but captivating. It creates a soundscape that you can dance to or fall asleep to – kind of remarkable. And these were the three best chillwave releases this year. Memory Tapes is my favorite, but Neon Indian and Washed Out are a little more popular. They’re all fantastic though. If you’re looking for an entrance point, download Memory Tapes’ “Bicycle” and “Stop Talking,” Neon Indian’s “Deadbeat Summer” and “Mind Drips,” and Washed Out’s “Feel It All Around” and “You’ll See It.”

These were the Indie buzz albums of 2009 – albums that would probably stop gathering new fans in a few years if the bands responsible ceased producing new albums that people were interested in. But for this year, this was the music that occupied our hipster consciousness, and we were thankful for it. The Dirty Projectors were the most innovative, and give a lot of promise to the future of indie pop. Grizzly Bear indicate that pure beauty will not leave the genre any time soon. And Phoenix argues that an art pop group that has existed under the surface for a decade has potential to explode into a mainstream sensation when no one expects them to. Together, they were a finer collection of buzz albums than many other years manage, and I’m glad to have spent the past twelve months with them. If you didn’t, it’s not too late to – download Dirty Projectors’ “Cannibal Resource,” “Stillness Is the Move,” and “Two Doves,” Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait for the Others,” and Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” and “1901.”

4. Ayrton Senna EP, by Delorean, and Aim and Ignite, by fun.

The #4 and #5 entries on this list, while each containing more than one album like #1-3, don’t quite have the thematic unity of the previous entries. These two especially have very little in common musically. Delorean’s instrumentation is electronic, full of synths, and their songwriting highlights repetition. fun.’s music doesn’t incorporate many modern sounds but it uses old ones in interesting ways, and their songwriting is gorgeous and melodic. But they fit together in terms of what they make you feel. These are joyous releases, albums that inspire nothing but good vibrations. They’re not the best albums of the year – Ayrton Senna is an EP with only four tracks, and one is a remix (although the iTunes version has a good bonus track), and Aim and Ignite, while awesome overall, only has maybe four or five great songs. But the feelings they inspire makes any weaknesses irrelevant. Check out Delorean’s “Deli” and “Seasun,” and fun.’s “Be Calm,” “Benson Hedges,” and “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be).”

5. jj n° 2, by jj, and xx, by the xx

I had a list of albums I loved from this year, and when it came to finding a group to form #5 on the list, these two stood out. Like Delorean and fun., they don’t have much in common in terms of instrumentation, and unlike Delorean and fun. they really don’t make you feel the same way. But they stand out together for a many reasons: they’re both very mellow and occasionally melancholy, neither surrounds their music with instrumentation that clutters the gorgeous songs, although they each strive for a very different ambience, they’re both remarkably fully-formed debut albums, and, oh yeah, the names. Of course, it took me a few days to remember I’m not the first person to group these two bands: they themselves did, announcing earlier this year that they’ll be doing seven shows together in March and April. Sweet. Check out jj’s “Things Will Never Be the Same Again” and Ecstasy,” and the xx’s “Crystalised” and “Basic Space.”

Honorable MentionAlbum, by GirlsSee Mystery Lights, by YACHTTarot Sport, by the Fuck Buttons

-Zach

]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/top-albums-of-2009/feed/045zachBest Albums of 200915 lyrics from Panda Bear’s Person Pitch that seem dumb and cliched but in the context of his music are gorgeous and feel truly moving and inspirationalhttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/15-lyrics-from-panda-bears-person-pitch-that-seem-dumb-and-cliched-but-in-the-context-of-his-music-are-gorgeous-and-feel-truly-moving-and-inspirational/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/15-lyrics-from-panda-bears-person-pitch-that-seem-dumb-and-cliched-but-in-the-context-of-his-music-are-gorgeous-and-feel-truly-moving-and-inspirational/#respondThu, 15 Oct 2009 02:08:18 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=204]]>

“Coolness is having courage to do what’s right/I’ll try to remember always just to have a good time” (“Comfy in Nautica”)

“Get your head out of those mags/And websites who try to shape your style/Take a risk just for yourself/And try to wade into the deep end of the ocean” (“Carrots”)

“When my soul starts growing/I get so hungry/And I wish it never would stop growing” (“Ponytail”)

“I don’t want for us to take pills anymore/Not that it’s bad/Because we’re stronger/And we don’t need them” (“Take Pills”)

“I want you to know sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me/All I need to know I knew so early” (“Carrots”)

“I mean no offense to you/But grow up/Can’t you just grow up?/When are you going to give it your own go?/I know I’m being way too hard but I know that I’m trying” (“Bro’s”)

“Take one day at a time/Everything else you can leave behind/Only one thing at a time/Anything more really hurts your mind” (“Take Pills”)

“Who are you to tell me how/When you’ve got problems of your own/I do love you and/I want to hold onto you for always” (“Bro’s”)

“It’s so lame that you could take my feelings and make yourself feel like you’re better than anyone else who hasn’t heard” (“Carrots”)

“There’s a reason I work so hard at this stuff/When all I want to do is take it easy” (“Carrots”)

“I’m not trying to forget you/I just like to be alone/Come and give me the space I need/And you may find that we’re alright” (“Bro’s”)

“Is there anyone else in this place/Who can tell me right now don’t be afraid?/There’s no one else who can hang out like I do” (“Good Girl”)

“I know myself/And I know what I want to do/I’m doing my best/And I want to know/Is it good for you?” (“Bro’s”)

]]>https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/15-lyrics-from-panda-bears-person-pitch-that-seem-dumb-and-cliched-but-in-the-context-of-his-music-are-gorgeous-and-feel-truly-moving-and-inspirational/feed/045zachPerson PitchBonus Podcast: Karl and Zach’s Day of Funhttps://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/bonus-podcast-karl-and-zachs-day-of-fun/
https://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/bonus-podcast-karl-and-zachs-day-of-fun/#commentsMon, 14 Sep 2009 21:18:30 +0000http://noisefromthebasement.wordpress.com/?p=194]]>So way back when on August 15th, Karl and I ventured to the strange land of NYC to see my favorite band Animal Collective in concert. It was an awesome day and Animal Collective was amazing. (Seriously, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen them do “Fireworks” live.) On the train ride there, we recorded a small twenty-minute podcast. When I got home, I didn’t upload it, and continued not to until this very moment. I really wasn’t going to at all, but in the wake of us completely and utterly failing to record the promised 5th podcast before we all departed for college (which was completely and utterly Karl’s fault), here it is. It really isn’t that bad. I listened to it once a few days after we got back and then again a couple weeks later when it started playing in iTunes by accident and I didn’t feel like turning it off, so I can speak from experience that it holds up against repeated listens. As for college, I think most of us would agree that it is awesome. (Well, except Mike, who starts in three days.) The view from my dorm room is so fucking sweet that I wish I could take a picture of it and show it to you but there’s a window in front of it and windows are made of glass and that makes it really hard to get a good image especially on a shitty iPhone camera, but it is pretty.